Plan your essay: structure

Every essay title contains an actual or implied question.

The whole of your essay must focus on the title and address that question.

• Explain what the essay is going to do
• Explain how you interpret the question and summarise your argument and conclusion
• Define any key terms (if necessary)
• Identify the key points, controversies or angles that you are going to cover, without going into detail. State your conclusions, briefly
• Give a brief outline of how you will approach the question

Paragraph 1 of main body

• Covers the first issue that your introduction said you would address
• The first sentence (the topic sentence) introduces the main idea of the
  paragraph
• Other sentences develop the argument of the paragraph. Include relevant
  examples, details, evidence, quotations, references
• Lead into the next paragraph

Paragraph 2 and other paragraphs

• The first sentence (the topic sentence) links the paragraph to previous paragraph(s), then introduces the main idea of the paragraph
• Other sentences develop the paragraph’s topic

• Contains no new material, and should deliver, clearly, on what you have stated in your introduction
• Summarise your overall argument and main reasons that support it
• Bring out the most important point(s)
• State your general conclusions; clarify why they are significant
• In the final sentence, sum up your argument, linking it to the title

• List all the books, articles and other materials you referred to in the essay
• If a bibliography is required, list relevant texts, including those you read
  but did not refer to in the essay